In May, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the government cannot fine the Little Sisters of the Poor for refusing to provide health-insurance coverage that included contraceptives, which would violate their religious beliefs. The Court vacated the lower-court ruling against the Sisters and returned the case to the lower court with instructions for it to work out a way to allow for coverage of contraceptives that doesn't violate the religious objections of the Sisters.

"All we have ever wanted to do is serve the neediest among us as if they were Christ himself," said Sr. Loraine Marie Maguire, mother provincial for the Little Sisters of the Poor. "We look forward to serving the elderly poor for another 175 years to come."

"This is a game-changer," said Mark Rienzi, senior counsel at The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which represents the Sisters with others. "This unanimous decision is a huge win for the Little Sisters, religious liberty, and all Americans. The Court has accepted the government's concession that it could deliver these services without the Little Sisters. The Court has eliminated all of the wrong decisions from the lower courts and protected the Little Sisters from government fines."